VW and doing the right thing

Went to a really stimulating presentation on emerging trends last week by The Future Lab. Incredibly thought provoking, and amazing how one or two new insights can trigger all sorts of new connections and ideas for projects you’re currently working on.

One thing that really stood out for me – probably because it’s something I’ve become increasingly aware of – is the emergence of civic responsibility as a growing trend.

The idea that as a society we are moving away from favouring the rights of the individual and towards the rights of the community. We see that right now in the media treatment of binge drinking, littering and anti-social behaviour generally.

And from this, spins out the idea of Prohibition Culture – that as consumers we’re saying “no”, as changing attitudes to health, alcohol, diet and how we view brands make us more conservative and judgmental in our outlook.

From a brand point of view, the winners will be brands that enable people to ‘do the right thing’, but further than that, enable people to make the right choices by making those choices seem fun, desirable and affirmative, rather than prohibitive.

And just as I was thinking that, along comes VW with a perfect example – The Fun Theory.

This little video viral has been bouncing around all the agency forums and groups. As a campaign it’s simple, it’s fun, and it makes you want to do the right thing…